Make no mistake, 1950s fashion is everywhere with several new specialist stores popping up around town. Emma McKinney gets the lowdown on one of the most original.

VINTAGE is the new old... or should that be the old new?

Either way, fashion, make-up, music and even furniture dating back from decades past are proving a real hit with the British consumer.

So much so even pop star Lily Allen is getting in on the act, with Channel Four recently charting her highs on lows as she turned her back on the music industry to launch her new London vintage fashion store Lucy in Disguise.

And Lily’s not the only one trying to cash in on retro chic. Birmingham is becoming awash with vintage stores selling everything from jewellery to fishnets.

Lynsey Le Keux has gone one step further by opening LeKeux Events at the Custard Factory.

The 27-year-old says it’s a “one-stop shop” for all things vintage, not only selling 1950s reproduction dresses, hand-made head pieces and 1940s-inspired make-up, but also providing a venue for parties, photo shoots and afternoon tea with a historic flavour.

The former project manager and business consultant decided to launch the shop in March after a hobby she had organising vintage-style weddings and burlesque-themed hen parties as a favour for friends proved so popular she found herself being inundated with requests for help.

Her Digbeth store is split into sections, including a salon offering vintage make-overs from trends as far back as the 1920s.

And once transformed into Marilyn Monroe or the like, you can head over to the studio to star in your very own pin-up photo shoot, selecting items from the store’s vintage wardrobe.

If all that proves too tiring, people can sit back and relax in the vintage tea room, complete with a 1950s-style kitchen and retro crockery, serving up old-fashioned cakes. Those wanting something a bit stronger can head to the vintage bar and have a glass of Champagne or a cocktail.

Lynsey hopes the shop will not only appeal to “drop-in” customers, but will also attract hen and private parties, providing them with a host of activities which they can “pick and mix”, including burlesque and dance courses, knitting and fascinator-making workshops, cupcake decorating classes, and also bespoke wedding planning services.

“I think we offer something truly unique,” says Lynsey. “The photo shoots are particularly popular.

“At first people are quite shy but then as the shoot goes on they become more daring and many end up in gorgeous vintage underwear and are thrilled with their pictures.

“Some eras like the 40s and 50s were incredibly glamorous in terms of women’s fashion and I think young women want a piece of that now, it’s empowering for them.”

Lynsey, who herself wears clothing, hairstyles and make-up from the late 1940s and early 1950s, says she has a real passion for all things vintage.

“I grew up listening to 50s and 60s music and I loved the aesthetic of the fashion from that era,” she adds.

“It inspired me in so many areas of my life, I even decorated my house with furniture for the decades and had a vintage wedding.

“I think vintage is so popular because it evokes nostalgia – in these depressing economic times people like to look back to the past with fond memories, even though that’s perhaps through rose-tinted glasses.

“Also, you find a lot of vintage is so well made it lasts so much better than some of the throw-away fashion you can buy now, and when we’re coming out of a recession, people really want value for money.”